Two-Seat Electric Octodecacopter Completes Early Flight Tests

Photo: E-volo

A German company has developed and flown a scaled-up version of the electric quadcopters normally seen darting around parks and fields, but this version will carry two people and could fly for up to an hour. E-volo’s new model has made “multiple flights lasting several minutes” according to the company, including flights to 22 meters (limited by flying indoors). The VC200 uses carbon fiber and 18 separate motors and propellers powered by multiple batteries for redundancy.

Unlike a traditional helicopter that uses a main rotor for lift and a tail rotor to counter the torque, the VC200 uses the multiple smaller propellers in the same way the tiny quadcopters maneuver by changing the thrust produced by each of the motors. Want to fly forward? The back motors power up a bit, tilting the helicopter forward and providing a thrust vector to the back. The idea makes the VC200 potentially as easy to fly as a small remote control quadcopter, and it will have a parachute just in case.

This isn’t E-volo’s first attempt at an electric helicopter carrying a person. An earlier model has already flown with a pilot on board. Though the pilot sat above the propellers in a seemingly precarious perch, and had giant plastic gym balls for landing gear.

The team says the flight tests exceeded all expectations, and they were particularly pleased with the low sound levels produced by the full size helicopter during flight, and the complete lack of vibration compared to other helicopters. With the six battery packs currently feeding groups of three electric motors each, the team expects flights of about 20 minutes are possible.

E-volo notes a production model is still a ways off, but hopes to use the prototype to further advance the concept with the goal of cruise speeds of more than 50 knots and flights lasting more than an hour.